Filed under: Local Events + Action, Waste + Recycling | Tags: computers, e-waste, KU, recycling, Tech Shop
Photo: Gerard Lemos, flickr
I work the computer store on campus, The Tech Shop. I can sell two or three computers in a day and a lot more during back-to-school times. For a long time, I was satisfied by simply providing useful technology to students at great prices.
Sales schtick aside, people want computers. That is, people need computers. E-mail is a valid form of communication at KU and papers are expected to be submitted electronically. Around finals time, it can be a pain to find a computer in one of our computer labs. People need computers.
Following Moore’s Law, a computer three years in age will be four times as slow as a new computer. This is theoretical of course, but as computers become more affordable, more people are replacing their old ones. The stack of out-of-use computers adds up.
I wrote a post on the death bed of electronics and wondered what The Tech Shop could do about this. We now have an e-waste recycling program up and running. We work with KU Recycling who manages an extensive program for campus buildings.
There is more we are doing. All packing material, from cardboard to bubble-wrap, gets reused by our catalog department or compacted and recycled. We now carry the Grove line of computer bags from Targus. These bags are PVC-free, nickel-free and totally recyclable. Apple has steadily been updating their computers to make them more eco-conscious by using LED-backlit, mercury-free displays, PVC-free internal cables, and recyclable aluminum casings. As an Apple Campus Store, we are happy to offer these products.
I would like to see PVC-free bags and cabling, mercury-free displays, and less packaging in products throughout the electronics industry, but it’s not a perfect world. We’re just doing our part to make a difference.
I had to say that, sorry.
Bobby Grace
Filed under: Business + Politics | Tags: Charles Fishman, experimental store, Wal-Mart
When we think about companies that are becoming more environmentally friendly, Wal-Mart may not be the first company to pop into many people’s minds. However, Wal-Mart is now near the top of the list. In Dallas, Wal-Mart has just recently built an experimental store that is completely environmentally friendly.
Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0726-walmart.html
According to the mongabay Web site, the new store has a wind turbine in the parking lot, no flush urinals in the men’s rooms, and has incorporated other creative ways for saving heat, electricity, and water at the store. Wal-Mart admits that some of their ideas will ultimately fail, but it is important that they are making the effort in the first place.
Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0726-walmart.html
Wal-Mart makes a good point here. While it may be costly at first to make all of these environmental changes, what do they really have to lose? Not only will they be saving money in the end by becoming more efficient, but they will also gain the respect of their customers. While some Wal-Mart customers may not be sold on climate change, who wouldn’t want a company to be more resourceful. Also, with these new initiatives, Wal-Mart may garner more customers. They might take business away from competitors like Target, who have not made these essential changes yet.
However, despite all of Wal-Mart’s efforts, many are still skeptical. As many people know, Wal-Mart has a history of not being the best company to work for. Not only have they been accused of treating their employees badly (either by not paying them adequately or refusing health care), but they also sell a large supply of products from China instead of American made products.
However, others recognize that with the magnitude of its size and success, many other companies will follow in Wal-Mart’s footsteps. According to an article written for washingtonpost.com last September, Charles Fishman, author of “The Wal-Mart Effect,” is one of those people. “Wal-Mart is so large that when Wal-Mart changes how it does business, most businesses have to come along.”
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/06/AR2007090602689.html
And so, whether Wal-Mart is turning green for the environment or for other selfish reasons is not important. What is important is that other corporations follow Wal-Mart’s lead and change their businesses to become environmentally friendly as well. I feel that when corporations from all over the globe step up to Wal-Mart’s example, everyone will benefit in the end.
Lindsay
J500 Media and the Environment 